


Trust No One

by LittleBlueWraith



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Gen, Mild Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 08:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17179001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleBlueWraith/pseuds/LittleBlueWraith
Summary: Wolf O'Donnell hadn't survived this long as a mercenary by letting his guard down, even around his comrades. It makes for a lonely life, but that's how it has to be… Isn't it?





	Trust No One

Sargasso Space Station was what was scientifically known as “a wretched hive of scum and villainy.” Andross loyalists were not an uncommon sight here, given that the station was once a part of his fleet. However, four years had passed since his defeat, allowing it to turn from a military base to the wild west of the Lylat System. Hidden within a dense asteroid belt, it was the perfect place for outlaws to gather and carouse.

 

Among the most infamous of those outlaws were the members of Star Wolf, Andross’s elite fighter squadron, now an independent band of mercenaries. The quartet had been reduced to a trio shortly after Andross was put down, since Oikonny, the poster boy for nepotism, grew too much of a pain for them to deal with. Maybe if he could have actually backed up his big talk, but no. He was an awful pilot and a worse marksman.

 

Perhaps not, however. Pigma, who  _ could _ back up his boasts, was even worse. He was constantly taking jobs without discretion, forcing Wolf and Leon to follow through lest Star Wolf lose its reputation.

 

But they were at risk of gaining a whole different kind of reputation, and it was for that reason that Wolf was seeking Leon out now. He entered the makeshift bar on the second level, where loud music played over crappy speakers and tough guys gambled over booze. Leon was at the bar, nursing a drink that looked like water, but Wolf knew was vodka.

 

Wolf walked at a brisk pace through the dimly lit room, inadvertently stepping on someone’s tail. A mighty squeak made him wince. “Ya damn stupid, watch it!” the rat slurred angrily. She swung at him with a tiny fist, only to miss by a mile and keel over, to the laughter of witnesses. Wolf’s lip curled in a sneer, but he kept walking.

 

“Useless drunk,” he grumbled.

 

“I heard that!” the rat yelled at the floor.

 

Leon had turned his head to look only when he heard Wolf’s voice. The grimace on his face softened into a mildly annoyed frown. “Wolf.”

 

“Leon.” Wolf sat next to his subordinate. The barmaid ignored him in favor of continuing to flirt with a black cat. Wolf waited approximately 2 seconds. “Psht. Hey! You working or not?”

 

“I  _ am _ working, you--” The lioness’s snippy reply died on her lips. “O-oh! Mr. O’Donnell! I-I’m so sorry, your usual?”

 

“And make it quick.”

 

The barmaid hurried to fulfill his request, earning a cool glare from the would-be paramour. “Really, is that any way to speak to a lady?” His voice was deep and smooth, like any good casanova.

 

“I-It’s fine, it’s fine!” the barmaid said, delivering the cocktail to Wolf in record time. “He’s, uh, my boss’s boss’s boss.” Wolf sniffed disdainfully. That was a gross oversimplification of the hierarchy, but it got the point across, so he let it go.

 

“I… see.” The tomcat was unimpressed.

 

Wolf didn’t like that. His eye went to the barmaid. “You’re forgetting, it’s  _ Lord _ now.”

 

“S-s-sorry!” Her squeak rivaled that of the drunken rat.

 

If possible, the male feline looked even more unimpressed. Leon, who was sitting between them and was honestly not drunk enough for this, knocked back the rest of his vodka. “Stop terrorizing the help, Wolf.”

 

“Hmph.” Wolf drained his drink. If he’d been here on a less urgent matter, he might have been down to put this upstart in his place. He got up. “Leon.”

 

Leon knew that tone. He stood and followed Wolf out, noting the lioness’s relieved sigh as the door closed. The two walked down the corridor, Leon to Wolf’s right. “What’s up?”

 

“It’s Pigma.”

 

Leon groaned. “Again? What’s he got us into, now? Not another space whaling expedition, I hope. I’m still cleaning nebulubber off the Delta.”

 

Wolf’s face was dark. “Child trafficking.”

 

“... I’m sorry?”

 

“Pigma accepted a contract for smuggling, but this time the client wants us smuggling kidnapped kids.”

 

Leon looked like he wanted to puke. “I can’t believe… Actually, you know what, I can. I can absolutely believe that sicko would be okay with this.”

 

“So can I. Which means I think it’s time,” Wolf said. “You have your blaster?”

 

“Always.”

 

Wolf nodded, then radioed Pigma to meet them in the hangar. They stood by his Wolfen, the Golden Dagger, and waited. Wolf had always known this day would come, deep down. Pigma had rubbed him the wrong way since the moment they met. But then, everyone always let him down eventually. He stopped being disappointed a long time ago.

 

Pigma swaggered into the hangar, grinning. The skip in his step made Wolf’s skin crawl, and he could tell just by how the sound of Leon’s breathing changed that he felt the same.

 

“What’re we waiting for, gents, let’s get a move on!” Pigma said brightly. “This payout’s gonna be the biggest yet!”

 

“You’re off the team, Pigma,” Wolf said. “Get in your ship and get lost.”

 

Pigma stopped so suddenly he almost tripped over himself. “What?”

 

“I’m not one to stand around moralizing but this, this is a new low,” Wolf continued, striding up to Pigma. He poked the pig in his chest. “I’ll lie, cheat, steal, and even kill if the price is right, but selling kids into slavery? No way. I’ve got my standards. They might not be much, but I’ve got ‘em.”

 

Wolf shoved Pigma towards the Wolfen, and this time the hog did trip, landing flat on his face. Leon stepped around him. Pigma, seething, got back to his feet. “You ungrateful little… If it wasn’t for me, this team wouldn’t be where it is!”

 

“And that’s the only reason I’m not killing you. Consider it your severance pay. Now  _ leave _ and don’t come back.” With that, Wolf turned and began to walk away, Leon right behind him.

 

Pigma shook with fury. “No one casts Pigma Dengar aside like trash… No one!” His voice was low and murderous.

 

Wolf heard the approaching footsteps and sighed irritably. “Damn it, don’t make me--”

 

“Wolf!”

 

Wolf stumbled as Leon shoved him. A thunk and a choked gasp reached his ears as he caught himself, and he turned.

 

“Tch. Stupid lizard,” Pigma hissed. Wolf's eye widened and he watched, breathless, as Pigma pulled the knife from Leon's chest. Leon collapsed and laid on the ground, motionless, as blood soaked through his jacket.

 

Disbelief gave way to rage as Wolf, snarling like a rabid beast, leapt at Pigma. How dare he… How dare he?! Claws sliced through the flesh of the hog's head and he yowled in pain. Pigma tried to stab Wolf again, but this time the predator was ready, catching Pigma by the wrist. The hog was stronger than he looked, however, and it was a struggle to keep the knife at bay.

 

“Unh… W-Wolf…?” Leon's voice was weak, but Wolf heard it all the same.  _ He's alive... But for how much longer? _ While Wolf wrestled with Pigma, Leon was bleeding out. He needed to end this, now.

 

With a grunt, Wolf turned and rammed his shoulder into Pigma, shoving him away. They went for their blasters at the same time, and the next moment, they were each staring down a barrel. Wolf heard Leon cough, a horrid, wet sound, and for once in his life, he let his prey go.

 

“Get out of here,” he growled, “and don't let me catch you in my territory again.”

 

Pigma hesitated for a moment before backing away. He knew better than to take his eyes off Wolf right now. He clumsily climbed into his Wolfen and lowered the cockpit cover. The second the ship was gone, Wolf holstered his blaster. He hurried to Leon's side and knelt, rolling him onto his back. The lizard groaned weakly and Wolf held his hands to the wound.

 

“Stay with me, Leon. That's an order,” Wolf growled. “Stay with me.”

 

Leon looked at Wolf, vision blurring. Blood coated his lips and stained Wolf’s gloves. A shaking hand left the floor and came to rest on Wolf's. Their eyes met.  _ Leon… _ The moment passed, and with a sigh, Leon's head rolled to the side and his hand slid back.

 

“Leon!” Nothing.

 

A feeling that could be described as panic began to rear its ugly head within Wolf, his heart pounding faster, but not as fast as Leon's. He could feel it trying desperately to keep the lizard alive, pumping away, but all it did was pump more and more of that precious life out. He needed help, he needed--

 

“O'Donnell!” Wolf's head shot up. That smarmy black feline from earlier ran towards them from the door leading into the base, blaster drawn. He scanned the room and, seeing it was empty, holstered his weapon.

 

To say Wolf was bewildered was an understatement, but he wasn't in the habit of questioning good fortune. They took Leon to the medical bay, where the drunken rat was waiting. Turned out she was a disgraced army medic, and the only doctor on the base. She took Leon into surgery, leaving Wolf and the feline to wait outside.

 

A few minutes ticked by slowly, silently. Wolf leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he tried to sort out his jumbled thoughts. He'd been stupid to turn his back on Pigma. So unbelievably stupid, his decision to have someone there to watch his back seemed a fluke. No… His decision to have  _ Leon _ there. The possibility of having someone else had never crossed his mind. When he thought “backup,” he thought Leon.

 

It was unfair, he thought, that Leon was the one paying for his lapse in judgement. He sighed softly. “Why'd you do it, Leon?” he murmured.

 

“Is it not obvious? He cares about you,” the feline said.

 

Wolf had honestly forgotten he was there. He scowled. “What're you talking about? He's just a subordinate.”

 

That earned him a snort. “Right. Anyone would take a knife for their boss. What  _ was _ I thinking.”

 

“Is there a reason you're here?”

 

A shrug. “Nowhere else to be, and I'm curious to see if the lizard lives.”

 

“That reminds me. How did you know what was happening in the hangar?”

 

“I saw from the windows above as I was looking for a place to… ah… entertain my lady friend. So I sent her to find the good doctor while I came to your aid.”

 

“Mm hmm. And why  _ did _ you decide to help?”

 

“Must I have an ulterior motive?”

 

“Everyone has one.”

 

“How cynical.” The feline pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out. He lit one up, then looked at Wolf with a piercing stare. “So what was his? Leon’s?”

 

Wolf couldn't answer. Far as he could see, there was no reason for Leon to do what he'd done. Wolf wasn't  _ really _ an important figure, certainly no one worth dying for. So why? And why did it bother him so much?

 

The feline turned his head, blowing the smoke away from his companion. “I have to say that it's quite amazing you've made it this far without friends. Since I seem to have misunderstood what I saw in the hangar.”

 

“... What the hell is your name, anyway?”

 

“Excellent deflection. Seamless, really.” Wolf scowled and the feline laughed. “I am Panther Caroso.”

 

“Hmph.” Wolf retreated into his thoughts again. If Leon didn't survive, there would be no more Star Wolf. He couldn't be replaced as easily as Andrew or even Pigma. And, Wolf realized, it wasn't even his skills he was thinking of. Leon was more than a subordinate, he was a friend. Perhaps the first he'd had in years.

 

Over an hour later, the rat emerged. She glared up at the two carnivores. “Smoking in a hospital? Really?”

 

“How is he?” Wolf asked.

 

“He'll live.”

 

Wolf sighed and the tension left him. He never thought two little words could give him such a profound sense of relief.

 

“Considering what I had to work with, it wasn't easy. Half this stuff was rusty or broken. But I managed. Not bad for a ‘useless drunk’ eh?”

 

Wolf cleared his throat.  “Can I… see him?”

 

“Sure thing. He's still out for now, though. Will be for awhile. Lost a lot of blood.”

 

Wolf stepped into the room. Leon was lying on the bed, his jacket and shirt tossed into the corner, and an IV in his arm. His chest was wrapped in bandages, and he was pale, so pale… Wolf stepped up to him, grabbing a chair and sitting by his side.

 

“He’s a lucky bastard. The knife missed his heart, and we actually had enough blood substitute in storage for him,” the rat said. “And, of course, there was a damn fine surgeon on hand to help.” She then noticed that Wolf wasn’t paying attention. “So, uh, I’m gonna go back to my nap. Yell if ya need me.”

 

Wolf grunted in acknowledgement, never taking his eyes off Leon. His wingman, his partner in crime, his friend. If it wasn’t for him, he’d have met his end today. Likely sooner. He didn’t know when he’d come to trust him, but he did, wholeheartedly. And it had paid off, in the long run. Maybe having friends was a good thing after all.

 

Behind him, Panther snuffed out his cigarette. “All’s well that ends well, as they say. Back to the bar for me.”

 

Wolf looked at him. A good thing, indeed. “Say, Panther… How's your piloting?”


End file.
